Thursday, February 9, 2012

(Too Cool to Be a) Diaper Bag Reveal

Admit it: if I didn't tell you that this was a diaper bag, you'd never know. Right?

This is my third version of Butterick 4560 (version 1 here and 2 here). The good thing about this bag is that it has loads of pockets both inside and out; the annoying thing about this bag is how many pockets you have to sew. ha ha ha

The last time I made this bag was 2+ years ago, and my skills have come a long way since. So, the real adventure with this version was working with ripstop, particularly with quilted ripstop. I had to seal the cut edges of the ripstop, which is not aptly named, with a flame so that it wouldn't ravel. This pretty much rules out trimming seam allowances once they are sewn. The quilted layer of ripstop and the layer of hair canvas I used to make the bag extra sturdy made for a lot of bulk at the seams which I couldn't trim and could only lightly press with a cool iron. Plus, sewing so many layers of bulk was a challenge for my sewing machine; I got a scary message saying "main motor overload" at a few points. But thanks to my rolling foot and a few different needles, sewing went pretty smoothly overall.

Bag with matching changing pad.

As I mentioned earlier, I've come around to using a lot more hardware in my sewing. I definitely think it makes a better, more durable and functional bag. At the very least, this bag has an adjustable strap, unlike the pattern. The way I figured out how to construct the strap using webbing, D-rings, swivel clasps and a slider was to look at a RTW laptop bag that I own. And a little experimentation.

The only other construction note is that to get a sturdy, but flexible, bottom, I sandwiched 3 layers of artist's plastic canvas between the shell and lining. This gives some stability to the bottom of the bag without making it rigid.

I couldn't resist taking a few "action shots" of the bag and changing pad with my Cabbage Patch Preemie, Burt Adan, as a model.

Phin prevailed on me to delete the nudie shots of Burt being changed. he he he

Here you can see the magenta insides of the bag and the magnetic snaps on the front.

Really, it was fun to put so much hardware to use. I hope my friend loves her bag and feels like the hip, urban mom she is when she uses it!

That is a terrific bag. Mom or Dad will certainly get a lot of use from it. Your "main motor overload" message is all to common with computerized machines. Although these computer machines are wonderful for their variety of stitches, and lots of bells and whistles, they do not like to sew bulk. I have an older, mechanical machine to sew bulky fabrics which never yells at me! She will take anything I give her.

@ Gwensews - Yes! Exactly. The old warhorse I inherited from my grandmother never has a problem with bulk, but my expensive and schnazzy computerized machine does. If only I had a large enough sewing area to keep them both out!